


Goodbye, Thomas

by ll4nce



Series: Of School, Family, and Gods [2]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal
Genre: Alternate Universe, Breaking the Fourth Wall, Dysfunctional Family, Dysfunctional Relationships, Grief/Mourning, Implied/Referenced Incest, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Multi, Murder, Personality Issues, References to Depression, Revenge, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, delusional character, just put kinda and sorta behind every tag, making out with your boyfriends in your little brother's body, that's not weird right
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-11
Updated: 2018-11-11
Packaged: 2019-08-22 01:52:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16588505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ll4nce/pseuds/ll4nce
Summary: Thomas's death, everything after and everything before.Both a Prequel and a Sequel to Hello, Thomas.





	Goodbye, Thomas

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, dear reader. I see you are curious about how everything started and ended? Well, good thing I have this prepared. Enjoy the story.

I. Presence

When Michael gets home, it's nearly dark. He sighs, knowing he spent way too long at Yuma's. But once his grandmother had asked if he wanted to stay for dinner and he smelled the delicious food from the kitchen, he just couldn't say no. And Yuma looked really happy, too.

He unlocks the door to their home. The floors are dark as he puts his boots off and hangs his jacket on the racket, tiptoeing inside. He assumes that Thomas is sleeping already. At least, there is no sign that someone in this house is awake, as there are no lights burning anywhere.

The light in Thomas's room is also out. Michael walks past it as silently as he can manage and enters his own room, sighing as he plopped down on it. He looks at the ceiling for a bit, thinking about trivial things like what he should make for breakfast tomorrow or how he should try to get Thomas out of bed. Because his brother has been moping in his room a lot recently. Sometimes, he even refuses to come out of bed. Michael keeps it a secret from Chris because the last time he told Chris, the oldest Arclight brother had locked Thomas in his room for nearly a whole day, only relenting after Michael cried into his shirt and told him that Thomas was going to die at this rate and that he didn't want Thomas to die. When they opened the room, Michael immediately had to run out to get a first-aid kit as Thomas's fists and arms were bleeding. Chris later concluded that Thomas had first banged his fists bloody on his door - then scratched his own arms open. Michael still feels responsible for that. And he still feels really bad about it.

He sighs and gets up, readying himself for bed. His alarm is set about half an hour earlier than he really needs it to be, but this way, he has half an hour more time to get Thomas to eat something. Because he is moping so much, he barely eats anything too.

Michael decides on classic toast and eggs and goes to sleep.

II. Vacant House

“Big Brother? I'm coming in!” There's no answer. But that isn't unusual, so Michael opens the door. “Thomas?”, he calls again, entering the light-flooded room. That's when he first notices that something is wrong. When Michael enters Thomas's room, it's always dark and one can barely make out the huddled figure in the bed, turning away from light. But for some reason, it was bright in the room today. It made Michael feel a bit uneasy.

Panicked, he then throws a look at the bed. It's empty. No curled up Thomas, no nothing. Michael turns around and runs out of the room. He first looks in the bathroom. Nothing. Then the TV room. Nothing. The kitchen. Nothing. He looks all over the big house the Arclight brothers own but to no avail - he can't find Thomas anywhere. Out of breath, he arrives at his starting points again - Thomas's room - and pulls out his phone with shaky fingers, typing in Chris's number. It rings once, then twice, then thrice and many more times until it goes to voicemail. Michael tries again. It has the same end. Slowly getting desperate, he decides to look for Thomas on his own.

He runs out, calling for Thomas - of course, there's no answer. Michael forgets his jacket but luckily not his shoes. He looks for his brother in the neighborhood, asking if anyone had seen him. With every head shake, he's getting paler, scared if what might have happened to the middle Arclight. He hopes Chris will call back soon so that they can search together.

III. Neopolitan Song

An hour into his search for Thomas his phone rings. He picks up the call immediately. “Chris, finally! Listen, when I went to wake Thomas today, he wasn't in his room and I've been looking everywhere for him, please come and help me, I can't find him!” There's silence on the other line. “Chris?”, Michael asks, confused. The person on the other end laughs nervously. “Sorry Michael, it's me, Yuma. I've been wondering why you aren't at school yet. Guess that explains it.” 

Michael apologizes. “Forgive me, Yuma, it's just that I've been waiting for a call from Chris. I've been trying to reach him for the entire morning now…” 

“Don't worry about that. Hey, is your brother really missing?” Michael sighs. “He's not home and nobody saw him leave. Maybe he just went to school early today, maybe he just went for a walk, but I'm so worried!” 

“Okay, hold on a second!” There's rustling over at Yumas side. “Hey, Kaito! You're in Thomas Arclight's class, aren't you? Is he at school today?” There was a small pause. “Okay, thanks…” Rustling again. “Kaito says Thomas is not at school. Don't worry, Michael, we'll help you look! Friends gotta help each other!” There was cheering in the background. 

“Hold on a second, I'm giving you Kitano-sensei.” There was rustling again as Yuma passed the phone along. “Hello Michael, this is Kitano. Are you alright?”

“I guess…” His teacher sighed in relief. “That's good. I heard everything from Yuma and his friends. Todoroki has already alerted the police. Don't worry, Michael, we'll find your brother. The class will help. Tell me where you are so we can join you.” There's cheering again. Michael sniffs a bit. “Thanks, teacher…” The entire class looks for Michael's brother for the next few hours. In vain, as the first people to find Thomas are the police officers.

IV. Reason

Chris sweeps into the room tiredly. In the corner of the room, on a bed, the body lies. It was completely covered by a white sheet. One of the doctors motions him to come closer. When he's close enough, the doctor lifts the sheet so the face of the body was revealed. Chris expression morphed into one of sorrow as he looked at his little brother.

Thomas was deathly pale. His eyes were closed, never to open again. Just like his mouth will never utter a word no more. He'll always stay as silent as he is right now. A sick voice in his mind whispers that this is just like he wanted. Chris tries to shake it off. He stares at Thomas's body for just a bit longer - then takes a breath and turns to the doctor. “There's no doubt about it. This is my brother, Thomas Arclight.”

V. Realness

The news hit Michael the worst. At first, he won't even believe it. He laughs at Chris for making bad jokes like this and says that Chris has the humor of a robot. He even claims that maybe Thomas and Chris did this to scare him, laughing as he claps his oldest brother's shoulder. Chris doesn't laugh. He explains it to Michael again. And slowly, the youngest realizes. He breaks down crying in Chris's arms. Chris tries to stay strong, he really does. But he can't help but shed a few tears as well.

VI. Insides on the Floor

Rumors about Thomas Arclight's suicide spread like a wildfire in school. Yuma doesn't really know what it's about. Michael hasn't been in school for a while and he's worried. He only knows their class's search for the middle Arclight was suddenly canceled after Michael finally got that call from Chris, hysterically giggling as he was told something on the phone. Then, Chris picked Michael up and explained something to Kitano-sensei, who nodded and had canceled the search. Later, Kitano-sensei had explained to them that Thomas Arclight Chad been found dead.

“Did you hear? Arclight and Shingetsu offed themselves together!” 

“Really? I already knew that Arclight killed himself, but Shingetsu too? Is that why he hasn't been in school?”

“Yeah, went to that suicide spot together and took some pills, dying while holding the other's hand. Kinda romantic, don't you think?”

Yuma can't comprehend. How can you laugh about something like this? He didn't know Thomas Arclight very well. All he knew was that he was Michael's moody brother that made him really upset sometimes. It was a whole different issue with Shingetsu, however. Yuma would like to say that Shingetsu had been his friend. They sometimes talked - Shingetsu had a weird way to look at this world. He truly believed that he didn't belong here with the humans, that he was a higher being. He also said that free will is an illusion as the puppeteers always pulled the strings of simple humanity. Yuma always thought his stories were interesting and fun to listen to. The first time he told Shingetsu that, Shingetsu had looked at him like Yuma had suddenly grown two noses. Afterward, he talked to Yuma a lot more, explaining his worldview in detail and how he got those ideas. His eyes would sparkle and he would look so enthusiastic, Yuma thought it was cute. Shingetsu wasn't a bad person. He was just very misunderstood.

And those two people - Thomas Arclight and Rei Shingetsu - are suddenly dead, from one day to another. Yuma talked about the universe birth theory with Shingetsu just yesterday. And suddenly, he'll never be able to talk to the redhead ever again.

Whenever he thinks about them dying, his heart aches - even though he and Thomas were acquaintances at best - he feels such unbearable sadness and sorrow for them. He silently cries once he gets home, not only for Shingetsu but for Thomas Arclight as well.

Because wouldn't anyone be sad about someone dying? 

VII. She Draws Dragons

“Are you sure it's okay for you to work again?” Chris smiles tiredly. “I'm fine, Kaito. I have to work now so that as soon as Michael is finished with his counseling meeting, I can pick him up and spend some time with him.” He looks away. “I won't make the same mistake twice. Thomas died because I didn't take care of him properly - I wasn't paying attention to how he was, on both a mental and physical note. I didn't show him how much I wanted him to live, I didn't make him feel loved and appreciated. I didn't even know he was depressed until it was too late.” He sorts some of his files. Kaito watches with a worried frown. “In the end, everything he said about me was true. I was burying myself into work and didn't know anything about why or how everything came to be. I didn't know a thing about him. About why or how - if I talked to him more, maybe I would've been able to stop it. I tried to solve him like a simple math problem with just a single solution.” He laughs bitterly. “I'm a horrible brother, aren't I? Even when he tried to tell me something, I always dismissed it at attention seeking on his part. It's all my fault. Thomas is dead and it's all my fault.” 

Chris is crying and Kaito walks over to stroke his back soothingly. “It's not your fault, Chris. Come on, say it with me. It's not my fault.”

Reluctantly, Chris does.

“...it's... it's not my... fault.”

Kaito makes him say it again.

“...it's not...my fault.”

“One last time. It's not my fault.”

“...it's not my fault.”

Kaito kisses him. “That's right, stop blaming yourself. It won't do you any good. You need to be strong for Michael now.”

Kaito kisses him again. “You're amazing Chris, don't forget that. Everyone makes mistakes. You do too. But you're still strong. You'll find a way to make everything better. Maybe it's too late for Thomas, but you still have Michael.”

Chris nods, looking slightly better. “You're right, Kaito. I can't afford to drown in self-pity. I need to move on fast so that I can be there for Michael.”

He clenches his fist. “It won't happen again.”

VIII. Silence

Michael had seen Thomas's body - Chris didn't want him to, but he insisted and his older brother finally relented. The body doesn't look like Thomas at all. It is to pale, way too pale. The expression on its face isn't like Thomas as well - even in his sleep Thomas would usually frown or grind his teeth - but the body's expression is serene and peaceful, not a single wrinkle to be seen. The only things disturbing the image are first of all the heavy bags under its forever closed eyes and the scar over its right eye.

Michael remembers how Thomas got it, too.

He saved someone from a big fire in the slums. A pair of siblings were not able to escape their burning home. Thomas ran in to rescue them without thinking, without any protection. Chris had scolded him about that later. He somehow got the scar in the process. Michael isn't really sure how.

Thomas was only able to get the boy out. The girl died because she inhaled too much smoke. And even though the boy lived, he's still asleep, even now. Chris is paying his treatment. Michael thinks about visiting him, now that Thomas can't anymore.

Everyone assumed Thomas was there on coincidence. Only Michael knows the truth because Thomas broke down to him crying the evening it happened. He didn't tell anyone, especially not Chris.

Thomas was feeling strongly destructive that day - it was nothing new, sometimes, he would destroy his entire room, Michael often having to help him to clean up. But that day, Thomas wasn't at home. The damage he did wasn't limited to his own room. He started the fire that killed Rio Kamishiro and put Ryouga Kamishiro into a coma.

The guilt was eating him alive - sometimes, he would say that Rio was following him, telling him all about his bad decision and scolding him for it. Michael never really knew how to make him feel better when that happened. He wonders if it was one more reason he decided to go away with Shingetsu that day.

Bitterly, he thinks that would just add another reason Chris didn't know anything about to the already long list.

IX. God's Laughing Corpse

Michael can't really say that he knew Shingetsu - he only knew him because Yuma was friends with him. Shingetsu was this weird kid in class that had more than just a blooming fantasy. He was a fanatic.

He would talk about his own weird religion - the Oracle - the theories he had thought about. No one was able to make a normal conversation with him, no one understood what he was talking about. No one but Yuma - and Thomas. Thomas had started to spend time with him more and more - hung on every word the other said, believed everything his twisted mind came up with - in the end, he and Shingetsu had this two-man cult. They believed in the Oracle, that Shingetsu had been a god once, that free will didn't exist and that humans were made and controlled to entertain cruel gods. Michael strongly believes that Shingetsu was more than just a bit at fault for Thomas's death. Not that he could do anything about it - after all, Shingetsu was dead as well.

Of course, it wasn't all Shingetsu's fault - he knew Chris and he had their own share of fault. But Michael thinks about what if he had stopped Thomas from being friends with Shingetsu every day. Would it have saved Thomas? It's something he'll never find out.

Just like he'll never know for sure if Shingetsu and Thomas were dating or not. He had heard rumors but never had the courage to ask his brother or his classmate. Tokunosuke had claimed he had seen them kissing on the roof, but honestly, Michael was never sure if he should believe him or not.

Even though Thomas was rough, destructive, insensitive, the way he loved is something close to 'Puppy Love’. He followed his crush around, got shy and silent around them and always looked up to them in adoration and wonder. Michael knows because he's been watching Thomas interact with Kaito for years with an eye roll. Michael thinks it's such an innocent way to love.

If Shingetsu really somehow got Thomas to get over Kaito and love him instead, then roping him into a double suicide - Thomas would follow the one he loved, plus there are all the other reasons that made him want to die - Michael thinks that's unforgivable, using Thomas's love for not having to die alone. 

With Thomas's death, someone he never really cared about suddenly was his most loathed person on the planet. There was no way to confront Shingetsu, however. He died and took Thomas with him.

X. Paperwhite Drops

“There's something I never told you”, Kaito says one time while he and Chris are working on something. Chris looks up at him in question. Dr. Faker is out, doing something with Haruto. “A few days before he died, Thomas talked to me.”

Chris stops working, looking at Kaito with wide eyes. “Really? What did he say?” Kaito also stops working, putting the things he was holding away to get a better look at Chris's face. His own expression was sorrowful. “He told me that he loved me.”

Chris entire posture deflates. His jaw drops and closes. Twice. He can't get a word out. Kaito waits for him to get the information into his head patiently.

“...shit”, Chris finally says. “Shit! Shit! Shit!” He roars and jumps up, pacing the lab with an angry expression. Kaito knows it's because he's mad at himself for not realizing. He watches him, sad.

“Fuck, Thomas...why haven't you ever talked to me about this? If you told me, I wouldn't have…” Chris punches the wall. It's not strong enough to leave a dent. Kaito stands up and puts a hand on his shoulder. “Even if you refused me, I would've rejected him, Chris.”

“Yes, I know! I know! But still…! I unknowingly broke my little brother's heart! How could I not know? How could I've been this blind? Other than Michael, he knew about us, too...” Chris turns around, sweeps back to work. Kaito watches him. “He saw us. He was really mad because instead of attending a school event with Michael, he saw us on a date. But maybe he wasn't only mad because of Michael. Maybe he was upset that I was dating you, too.”

The tears and the destructive anger that evening finally made sense. Thomas had destroyed his room - even worse than usual - and Michael and he were unable to get all of the blood out. It was from Thomas's feet, stepping all over his own glass ornaments he destroyed prior. When Chris found out, he had asked Michael to leave the room so he can talk to Thomas under four eyes - Michael did shuffle out of the room with a worried glance at Thomas.

He had started lecturing Thomas - it was nothing unusual in the Arclight home, Chris had to lecture Thomas about anything every few days. But Thomas interrupted him and asked him about his date with Kaito with an accusing voice and gaze. They argued for hours. Angry tears were flowing out of Thomas's eyes as he ran out of the room and locked himself in the bathroom - even Chris's commanding voice and knocking didn't get him out. He slept in there, too.

The next day, Michael had asked him to let Thomas off easy because he was hurt and Chris relented and put off the lecture to get working.

The silence in the lab was unbearably heavy. Kaito went back to his working place as well. “Are you going to call our relationship off?”, Kaito asks, Chris sighing. “..I'm sorry, Kaito”, he then says in a tired voice. “I can't really go out with the man my dead brother loved right now. I think it would be better to end this - for now. Until the wounds aren't that fresh anymore and I don't feel this unbearable guilt when I'm with you.”

Kaito nods in understanding. “I kind of figured it would come to this. I think it's better like this for now as well. Remember that you can still talk to me about anything, though - as a friend.”

Chris smiles at his partner. “Thank you, Kaito.”

XI. A Song For Nobody

It comes completely unexpected. Michael is in Ryouga's hospital room, changing the old, withering flowers out. He believes Thomas brought them before he died.

Thomas visited Ryouga often. Not only because of the guilt, but also because Ryouga is an orphan - and with the death of his sister, he has nothing left anymore. He has nothing left and doesn't even know.

Michael thinks about what Ryouga was to Thomas. What Kaito was to Thomas. And finally, what Shingetsu was to Thomas. He shortly wonders if Thomas was polyamorous but then shakes his head - it doesn't matter anymore. There are so many things he didn't know about his brother before he died and now it's too late to ask him. Michael feels regret. He's pretty sure Chris feels the same.

The room is completely silent and Michael is about to leave again, but suddenly, the person on the bed starts groaning - alarmed, Michael looks at Ryouga. He turns one or two times, then his eyes flutter open, staring at the ceiling in confusion. Michael calls a doctor and then seats himself at the other’s bed. “Where am I?”, was the first thing he uttered, still sounding sluggish and tired. “Where's Rio…?”, he then asks, eyes slowly widening as he remembers what happened.

“You're at the hospital”, Michael responds to him patiently, making him look at the person sitting next to his bed. “Who the fuck are you?”

Michael thinks about scolding him for his language, but he still remembers what scolding did to Thomas, so he just smiles kindly. “My name is Michael Arclight. I'm Thomas Arclight's brother. The one who carried you out, do you remember?”

Ryouga looks at him with squinted eyes. “I do, kinda, I guess. But if I remember correctly, then you don't look like him at all.” Michael laughs. “A lot of people have been saying that.”

“So? Why are you here? And where's Rio?” Michael looks at the ground. He thinks about how he and Ryouga have both lost a sibling so dear to them. While their pain might be similar because of that, it might never be the same. “I'm sorry”, he says. Ryouga looks at him with wide eyes.

“...you're shitting me.” Michael shakes his head slowly. Ryouga tries to get up and do something, anything - but lying in bed for nearly a year and made his muscles weak and he isn't able to accomplish anything, screaming bloody murder until the doctor arrives and does everything the professional way. Michael has to leave. 

He visits about a week later again, changing the flowers again. Ryouga watches him with a tired gaze. He seems to have accepted that his sister is dead - or at least he understands that screaming around and throwing a tantrum won't make the doctors let him see her. “Hey”, he says. “Where's this Thomas person anyway? I...want to talk to him about the incident.” Michael looks up from the flowers, frowning deeply. Ryouga watches him with a questioning gaze.

“He's dead”, Michael was finally able to choke out, Ryouga's eyes widening. “Fuck…But why? Don't tell me the fire…” Michael shakes his head. “No...there were other reasons.”

Ryouga sinks back into the bed with a sigh. “My condolences”, he says after a short silence, making Michael smile sadly. “I miss him so much...well, I guess you feel like this about Rio, too, right?”

Ryouga looks at the ceiling. “Sometimes, I still can't accept that she's dead. Whenever I hear the door opening, I think it's her and that everyone just played a sick joke on me.” Michael looks apologetic. Ryouga waves him off. “I can't imagine a life without her, you know. Can't imagine a life where she doesn't wake me with a smile, makes breakfast and calls me a lazy ass, where she makes fun of how I look in my school uniform…” He looks wistful for a second. Michael nods sadly. “I know that. When Chris, my other brother, first told me Thomas was dead, I laughed. I laughed because I thought it was a Chris joke. He was never a funny person, you know.” 

He watches the white ground again. “Thomas was really mean, sometimes. He would say things that really hurt...and he and Chris would always argue, I hated it. I always had to help him clean his messes, too. You know, he used to throw things he didn't like to eat under the table. He just left them there. I always cleaned those things up. When Chris found out, he was so mad!” Michael laughs, but it ends up in a choked sob. Tears start to dribble down his cheeks. Ryouga watches with an understanding expression. 

“But now”, Michael sobs. “But now, when I get home, everything is so silent. Everything is so empty. Chris always said he was the loudest in our family - I didn't even know how much we relied on his voice until he was gone. There's no laughter there anymore, no talking, no signs of life in this home.” Michael tries to wipe his tears. Ryouga hands him a tissue from the table next to his bed. “I hate being home.”

“I don't have a home anymore”, Ryouga says. Michael looks apologetic again. The other shrugs. The following silence is somewhat awkward. Ryouga clears his throat.

“Why…”, he starts, stopping to think about his word choice, then shaking his head. “How...ah, no. Ahem.” He starts again. “Can...Can I ask how he died?”

Michael looks at the flowers he brought. He thinks about Chris, about himself, about Shingetsu, about Kaito, about Rio and Ryouga. “Suicide”, he says.

XII. Oneiri

Kaito wakes up today and decides that he wants to visit Thomas Arclight's grave. Haruto and Dr. Faker are still sleeping when he sneaks out of their home - it is 7 o'clock in the morning on a Sunday after all. It's a foggy day and Kaito thinks about cliches - because visiting a grave on a foggy day and then getting stabbed is one. He also thinks about his first date with Chris and how that was just a big cliche as well. He was happy anyway.

He wonders if Chris is really considering dating again after what he told him. Probably not - he was blaming himself anyway, that Thomas loved the person he was dating was just the cherry on top of a gigantic cake. Kaito believes that Chris wouldn't be able to live with the guilt if they really started dating again. He knew something like that would happen, but Chris had a right to know the truth. Kaito thought about hiding it, he really did. He thought about helping Chris out of the hole he buried himself in, blissfully unaware that their relationship might be one of the reasons he started digging those holes in the first place. He had thought about staying with Chris forever. But some things were just not meant to be and if this was one of them, he won't be too hung up on it - he liked being friends with Chris as well.

Thomas's grave is beautiful. Chris invested a lot into it - maybe it was his way of trying to express his appreciation for Thomas a tick too late. The Arclights had a ton of money anyway, most of it left by their father and Chris is also a famous researcher. Kaito thinks that spending the money on a thing like this is fine.

He's thinking about what to say when suddenly, there is a scrunching behind him - someone was walking on the gravel path towards the grave. He turns around, expecting Michael or Chris or maybe even Yuma, but it's someone completely different. His head was lowered in shame and his steps careful and nervous. It's Tetsuo Takeda.

Kaito wonders why he would visit Thomas's grave - after all, he was one of the bullies who made his life hell in the first place. Maybe he's just passing through - this theory was quickly rejected, however, as he stops walking in front of the grave, standing right behind Kaito.

“What are you doing here?”, Kaito asks him. Tetsuo still avoids looking up. “I…”, he starts, swallowing thickly. “I wanted to...apologize to...Thomas.” Kaito whirls around, rage glinting in his eyes. “It's a bit too late for that, don't you think?”, he snarls. Tetsuo's head hangs low. He seems to sink further into himself in front of Kaito.

“I know”, he whispers. “I know! But believe me, I never wanted this to happen. I didn't want him to die!” He starts shaking a bit. Kaito relents a bit. He is still on guard, however. “I thought it was fun”, Tetsuo admits. “It was so easy to vent anger and frustration on him. He never told anyone about it. And he was a loner, so nobody ever helped him.” For the first time, Tetsuo looks up to throw a pointed look at Kaito, whose eyes widen at the implication. He knows it's true, though.

“He was on such a high horse the first time we all met. We all thought he deserved to be put in his place. Then, the thing with Shingetsu happened. In our - my eyes, it was wrong, disgusting. Another reason to put him in his place. And it was all fun, right? Until it got serious. Until he suddenly died...because of us. Him and Shingetsu both.” Tetsuo steps forward. “I admit that what I did was wrong. And I feel regret. And that's why I went to apologize.” He passes Kaito and stands in front of the grave. There is a great difference in how he stands now and how he stood when he arrived. It seems like talking to Kaito had made him realize something. He realizes that at least he is able to admit his guilt. He realizes that at least he is courageous enough to ask for forgiveness. He realizes that he learned from his mistake. He regrets that it cost two human lives - but he knows that he'll always remember this regret, it's burned into his mind.

So he stands in front of Thomas Arclight's grave, head held high - then he bows. “I know what I did was unforgivable. I know that you won't forgive me. But that won't stop me from asking for your forgiveness anyway. I'm sorry, Thomas Arclight. I'm sorry for calling you names. I'm sorry for beating you up all the time. I'm sorry I blamed you for the dog incident. I'm sorry I stole your things and dumped them into the toilet.” This goes on for hours. Still bowing, Tetsuo Takeda apologizes for every little thing he did that made Thomas miserable. Kaito can only stare in wonder.

XIII. Melancholic Ending

Yuma is friends with everyone. Michael usually doesn't mind - but he's also friends with bad people. People like Tetsuo Takeda.

Michael only recently heard. He had been furious that something like that could happen without his knowledge. And he was never able to witness anything either - after all, Thomas as a high schooler was taught in the different building across of his middle school building. He had a hunch of course - remembering the day where he came home to Thomas holding a sharp pair of scissors to his throat, insisting that he only planned to cut his hair - his hair was a badly cut mess already. There was no hair in the bathroom, however, so it had been cut elsewhere. Plus there were all those bruises he sometimes has when he came home. Michael usually helped Thomas to hide them from Chris. Because Chris would assume that Thomas was in a brawl and scold him for it. Michael thinks that Chris would've never thought that Thomas was bullied.

He should've acted on his hunch and asked Thomas about it. He should have asked Thomas a lot more, he thinks bitterly. He didn't know his brother as well as he thought.

So recently Michael got the confirmation on his hunch. Tetsuo and his friends came clean and admitted that they had bullied not only Thomas but Shingetsu as well. They had asked for punishment, but also made it clear that no punishment was enough to repent their sins - Michael agrees about that - and had hanged their heads low, looking regretful - Michael doesn't believe them. Again, he starts loathing a person he didn't really care about before. All of them got off really easy too - because they were oh so regretful and so so sorry, they learned a lesson for life - Michael thinks it's unfair. Thomas died. He'll never be able to talk again, smile again, be happy again. It's so, so unfair. Tetsuo and his friend deserve nothing but a cruel and awful death. And everyone would be happy about that one. Hell, if Michael did a voting right now, he'd bet that at least 80 percent would be either supporting or indifferent to Tetsuo Takeda's death.

But here Michael is, sitting on the roof that Shingetsu kissed Thomas on, eating together with some girl named Kotori he doesn't know, Todoroki the class rep he doesn't trust, Tokunosuke who he doesn't believe a word from, Yuma, who focuses too much on spending time with everyone and Tetsuo Takeda, who bullied his brother into death. It's funny, really. What is an upperclassman like him hanging around here anyway?

And Tetsuo is laughing, patting Todoroki's back. He's stealing snacks off Kotori's food. He's joking with Tokunosuke and teasing Yuma. He's happy.

Michael snaps. He stands up abruptly and his food falls on the floor from his lap - who cares, it was just something he threw together from the fridge, whatever - the laughing stops and all eyes are on him. He wants to say something, anything - but he can't get a word out. So he leaves. He runs down the stairs and thinks about skipping school for the rest of the day. “Michael!”, a voice behind him calls. “Michael, wait up! What's wrong?” It's Yuma. Well, of course, it is. He isn't really that friendly with the others.

“Everything!”, Michael hisses as Yuma caught up with him and took his arm. He was forced to stand still. “My brother is dead! And he, Tetsuo, he is one of the people responsible for it! And yet he's here, laughing like nothing ever happened!” Yuma looks worried. “Michael, I know you're upset, but-”

“But what?!”, Michael screeches. “There’s no buts! Yuma, you have to stop being friends with him. He's a bad person! He...he made Thomas suffer so much! Don't you think it's unforgivable?” Yuma frowns. Michael's vision is blurred by the hot and angry tears flowing out of his eyes. “Don't hate him”, Yuma says. “He said he was really sorry, right? That he regrets-”

“I don't believe that for a second!”, Michael interrupts. “Also, that won't bring him back! It's way too late to be sorry!” Yuma looks torn. Michael is upset that he would even consider siding with Tetsuo on this one. “Stop being friends with him. For me, Yuma, please.” Yuma still looks reluctant. “It's him or me, Yuma”, Michael threatens. Yuma still doesn't answer. “I see”, Michael whispers. “Your hesitation is answering enough. We can't be friends anymore.” Michael tugs his arm out of Yuma's grip harshly and walks off with fast steps. He doesn't look back. Yuma doesn't follow him.

XIV. Somnolence 

Chris is busy again. Kaito enters the family home with takeout apologetically, nodding at Michael. “Hey, how are you?”, he asks while Michael gets some utensils ready. The other shrugs. “Fine, I guess.” Kaito frowns at his response. It is pretty untypical for sweet and polite Michael to answer like this. He doesn't comment on it, however.

They eat in silence. Kaito is trying to make conversation. “Hey, I was in the theaters recently - have you seen this new horror movie? The one with the puppets?” Michael shakes his head. “It’s pretty lackluster, in my opinion. Have seen better things.”

The younger one looks up in surprise. “You've been watching horror movies?” Kaito laughs, embarrassed. “Well yes. Chris gave me…”, he looks reluctant. “Uh, he gave me…” Michael frowns. “Thomas's movie collection?” Kaito looks a bit sad. “Yeah. So I've been watching those things. They are better than I thought, so I've been getting really into it.”

Michael sighs. “If Thomas was around, he'd be so happy to hear that. He'd talk with you about that stuff all night.” 

They clean up the table. The potion for Chris is still there, waiting for its inevitable demise. “Don't tell Chris”, Kaito suddenly says. “I've been meaning to get this off my chest for a decade and nobody really knows Thomas but you and Chris and I can't tell Chris, so please listen to me for a second?” Michael nods, curiously as he pats the space on the couch next to him. Kaito sits down. He looks uncertain on how to start and takes a deep breath. “After… he... died, I realized for the first time that I don't know anything about him. To me, he was always that brash and loud person that is so full of himself and still childish and demanding, disregarding his age. The opposite of Chris. And with that, not a person I would usually spend time with. But because of talking to you, to Chris, I found out so many of his interests I didn't know about. Like how he likes dogs, I love them too. Or the horror movies, as an example. How he always got shy around me. I started to look at him in a whole new light.”

Kaito lays his head into his hands. Michael pats his back. “Maybe I'm still confused because Chris dumped me, you know? But the more I get to know about Thomas, the more I want to spend time with him. But it's not possible! He's …he's dead, after all. I really wished I realized sooner. Because then, maybe...I wouldn't have been such a coward and helped him when I saw him getting bullied. Maybe I could've stopped his death, get him away from Shingetsu in time… maybe I could've mediated between him and Chris.” 

There's a look close to despair on his face when Kaito looks up. “It’s weird, right? Falling in love with someone who's already dead. What utter madness.” He looks like he wants to cry, but is unable due to crying too much already. “I'm a total loser. I get dumped by Chris and fall in love with his dead little brother.” Michael doesn't answer. Kaito stands up with a sorrowful expression. “Thanks for listening”, he whispers. But before he can step out of the door, Michael catches his sleeve, holding it. Kaito turns around, surprised.

“I'm really happy”, Michael says. “I've been trying to make you notice me for ages, you know. But you always looked at Chris. I never had the courage to say anything, until, well, I just didn't have anything to lose anymore. Thanks, Kaito. For loving me. Even it's a bit late, slowpoke.”

Kaito opens his mouth and closes it again, pondering about what to say. “... Thomas?”, he then asks, somewhat inelegant. Michael nods. “I'm right here.”

“But...you're Michael”, Kaito says. Michael frowns. “I'm using Michael's body as a vessel. He agreed to this, of course. I'm still Thomas, though.”

Kaito searches the other's face as if to look for clues that he's being lied too. His mind told him that this scenario was totally impossible and Michael was just playing a mean trick on him. But first of all, Michael wouldn't do that. Second of all, his expression, his smirk, even his eyes looked so much like the Thomas he remembers. It is kind of freaky, really.

“Truly?”, he asks, Michael's grin widening. “You and your scientific mind having trouble to believe it?” He leans into Kaito's face. Because he is a little smaller, he has to stand on his toes. “Is this okay?”, he whispers, Kaito only able to nod absentmindedly. Michael leans in for a kiss. At first, Kaito freezes up completely. But then, he responds by turning around and wrapping his arms around Michael, kissing him deeper. Michael responds just as enthusiastically, also pressing Kaito's body close. They part for air. 

“Believe me now, Kaito?” Kaito strokes Michael's hair absentmindedly. “I'm not so sure yet. Why don't you convince me more?” Michael laughs. It doesn't sound like Michael at all. It was the evil cackle he once heard while he was supposed to get Thomas and Michael to the lab and barged into their game night. It’s so Thomas Kaito teared up a bit. “Never thought you'd be flirting with me. Not like this”, Michael teases, Kaito blushing a bit. “Shut up.”

“Make me, will you.” Michael kisses him again. The kiss was anything but innocent. This was not kind and sweet Michael kissing him right now. It couldn't be. It had to be Thomas. It really had to be. He presses the other's body close again, making him moan into the kiss. Kaito took it as encouragement and let his hands wander further down, but before he could try anything, a horrified gasp made them part, still flushed. They forgot that they left the door open. Chris is standing in front of the family home, eyes widened and mouth slightly opened. There's silence. 

“What, you jealous?”, Thomas says with a sneer, smirking. Chris's jaw drops.

XV. Mind Reign

Michael sees Thomas in his dreams. Ryouga says it's normal and he sees Rio as well, but Michael knows that it's a bit different with him and Thomas. Because Ryouga tells him about his dreams of Rio on the beach with him, in school with him, watching movies with him. Michael dreams about Thomas just talking to him. Telling him over and over how much he suffered before he killed himself.

“Don't you feel responsible?”, Thomas says, eyes glowing in an eerie yellow. “You abandoned me, you know. You were to busy spending time with your little friend and didn't notice my suffering.”

“I'm sorry”, Michael says. It's the same play every time - Thomas says something and Michael apologizes. It's the same thing every time.

“At least make the ones that made me suffer so much suffer themselves. Make Tetsuo Takeda pay for me, okay? Maybe I'll forgive you then. No promises though, you know I'm moody.” 

Michael already knows that it's not a weird dream he keeps having. Thomas's spirit is haunting him. He's with Michael all the time. It's like after his death, his spirit just decided to reside within Michael's body. And only when he's dreaming, Thomas is able to take form. Michael can sometimes hear his voice during daytime as well, however, commenting on his life here and there.

When Kaito confessed that night, a voice inside him screeched. Thomas was screaming. He wanted to do something, say something. Michael let him. And that's how he got into the weird situation with Chris.

Thomas made out with Kaito in his body. Which was weird enough for him, but of course Chris had to witness it, too. If Chris was avoiding him before, he was positively trying to erase his existence from the house now. Michael feels like he's living alone.

“He doesn't care. He never did. Look how he's avoiding talking to you. It's just like he avoided talking to me”, Thomas's voice whispers inside him. Michael is reluctant to agree. “He learned nothing. Look how he buries himself into work again. What's he trying to accomplish? I hope it's a time machine so he can fix the mess he made.” Michael snickers. Thomas chuckles a bit as well. “Look, Michael”, he then says. “If I learned anything during my time alive, it's that Chris is a damn liar.” Michael nods slowly. “I...I think you're right, Thomas.”

“Of course I am. Wish you were this agreeable when we were talking about Chris when I was still alive.” Michael lowers his head, frowning. “I'm sorry.”

“Don't be. It's too late for that. It's not too late to make Chris pay though.” Thomas laughs. Michael smiles a bit. He's glad Thomas is back, even if it's like this. He missed the other so much.

XVI. Room

The next time they go visit Ryouga, Thomas wants to take over. Michael lets him.

They enter the room. Ryouga is still bedridden. “Hey, Ryouga, alive and kicking I see!”, Michael's voice says, making the other look up in confusion at first. “Oh, Thomas” was the casual answer he got. Michael wonders a bit about how he knows, but Thomas doesn't ask.

“My little brother said you wanted to talk to me?” Ryouga laughs. “Yeah. I didn't know you bit the bullet. Felt really bad about that.” Thomas groans and lets his body fall on the chair.

“Shut up. What did you want to talk about? Want to complain because I didn't manage to save Rio?”, he asks with a raised eyebrow, Ryouga raising an eyebrow right back at him. “Uh, no? Ever thought about me being thankful?” Thomas laughs loudly. “You, thankful? Best joke I ever heard!” Ryouga rolls his eyes. “Haha, funny. I'm serious though. I never got to thank you for saving me and well, trying to save Rio I guess.” Thomas sobers up immediately. “Ryouga, don't hate me, okay? I have something I need to tell you. Actually, even if you say you won't hate me you'll totally do and that's fine because I fucked up so badly…”

“Just say it!”, Ryouga snaps, Thomas flinching. “I...I was the one who set the building on fire.”

The silence following was heavy. “Fuck, you serious?”, Ryouga then asks, eyes narrowed. Thomas nods. “I'm not even making excuses, you know. Just...don't hurt Michael. Please.”

Ryouga breathes in. Then, he breathes out. He looks really shaken. “Shit”, he grits out. “And here I was, falling in love with the fucker that is Thomas Arclight. Who I thought was the one who saved my life and barely failed to save Rio's, but nooooo, he was the one who endangered our lives in the first place!”

“I'm sorry”, Thomas whispers. Ryouga sighs. “I know you are. Why else would you visit me all the time? You know, I can't even make you pay. Cause you're dead. I think I can leave it to Rio to haunt you.” He smiles, although it looks a bit sad. “What's in the past is in the past. I'll forgive you - for now. Maybe I'll change my mind.” Thomas looks glad. “Thank you…!”

Ryouga groans. “Stop being like that! It's so damn weird! I'm sorry! Thank you! Doesn't sound like the one I love so much!”

Thomas perks up with a grin. “Love so much?” Ryouga groans again. “Were you listening at all? Yes, that's the worst part. I still love you, asshole.” Thomas smiles. Michael thinks it's the most radiant smile ever since Kaito. “Say that again please.” Ryouga blushes. “No.”

“Pretty please?” He gets a kiss to the cheek instead. Thomas is left speechless. It's a rare occasion. Ryouga uses the window provided by Thomas's daze to curl himself up in the hospital blanket, hiding underneath it. Thomas finally snaps out of it. “Ryouga?”

“Shut up. Get out”, was the muffled answer he got. Thomas laughed. “What are you, a shy school girl?” Ryouga groans from under his blanket. “Leave.”

“Fine”, Thomas shrugs. He walks over to the blanket caterpillar, leaning down to press a kiss to where he believes Ryouga's head probably was. “I'll be back tomorrow.”

XVII. Swedish Fish

Yuma and Michael make big circles around each other. Thomas doesn't comment on that matter at all, as if to say that that's completely Michael's issue only. Whenever they see Tetsuo with him, however, there's a pain and burning anger in Michael's chest. He thinks the heartache isn't his, it's how Thomas must feel, seeing the one who made him suffer so happy. 

Michael doesn't want Thomas to be sad anymore. He had enough pain. If he has to, he'll erase everything that pains his brother. Thomas whispers to him, encouraging him. He wants to make the pain go away. He wants to make everyone pay.

And they'll start with Tetsuo Takeda.

Luring him into an abandoned building is easy. Knocking him out is easier. Chris has too much useless stuff. Thomas whispers that Chris's pepper spray was the reason he became friends with Shingetsu. Michael snarls. It’s always Chris's fault. He throws the taser back into his backpack. 

Tetsuo is heavy, but Michael only needs to drag him into the chair he has prepared. Thomas tries to help to pull him too. With united strength, they put him on the chair. They tie him up. They gag him. They ready a camera. They wait for him to wake up.

“Welcome, to the execution hour!”, they call cheerily once he does. Later, there's a body found in a burning building. Michael and Thomas can't stop laughing about the film at home. They aren't caught.

XVIII. Vacant Eyes

Ryouga finally gets out of the hospital. He said he had already got some cheap place and somewhere to work. He won't attend school anymore, he has to do too much to catch up and he needs money asap. Michael and Thomas invite him to the Arclight family home to celebrate.

Thomas is taking over. He laughs with Ryouga, cuddles with him, steals some cheeky kisses - Michael is happy that Thomas is enjoying himself so much. 

Suddenly, there's a sound at the door. Thomas perks up. There's no way Chris is back already. And he's right. It's Kaito. Chris gave him keys to their home a long time ago, so he can get him new clothes when he needs to. Nowadays, Kaito usually looks a bit after Michael and Thomas when he has time.

He barged into the room, out of breath, but freezes when he sees Thomas and Ryouga, still pressed against each other, Thomas sitting on his lap. He looks mortified.

“Kaito…”, Thomas says. “What, what is the meaning of this? I thought…” Kaito swallows thickly. “Ah, ah I know! You're Michael right now? I'm sorry I barged in then.”

Ryouga snaps. “Can't you see it's Thomas?” Kaito shakes his head. “I thought so too, but…Thomas is with me!” Ryouga's eyes narrow. He looks ready to start a fight. Thomas looks a bit crestfallen. “Please sit down, Kaito. I owe you an explanation. And an apology.”

Kaito sits down. Thomas hops off Ryouga's lap, disregarding his protests and sits in the middle of those two. “I love you both. A lot”, Thomas says. They look at him curiously. “It might sound selfish, but I really can't decide between you two. I love you so much. I want to be with you so much.” Kaito sighs. “I love you a lot, too, Thomas. I wished you told me about this person sooner.” Thomas looks at him, ashamed. “I know. I'm sorry, Kaito. I'm sorry, Ryouga.”

Ryouga leans back, crossing his arms behind his back. He looks at the ceiling. “You know, I forgave you for so much shit already, forgiving you for one more thing isn't that big of a deal. I don't want to make you decide either, you won't be happy with only one of us, won't you?”

Thomas looks embarrassed but also surprised. “You're not going to make me decide?”

“Nah. I'm ready to share you. Don't know about your fancy friend over there though.”

Kaito looks upset. Maybe it's Ryouga's way of talking or his body expressions, or just the sheer weirdness of this situation. He looks ready to unleash hell on Thomas's other lover - but Thomas throws him a pleading look and Kaito melts like butter. He relents. “I guess I am too. Okay about the sharing thing I mean. I want you to be happy, after all.” Thomas looks really glad. “Thank you so much, Kaito.” He presses a kiss to the others cheek, Kaito looking a bit uncomfortable that someone was watching but not commenting on it.

“Why does he get a kiss for agreeing and I don't?”, Ryouga snarls from the other side, making Thomas smirk at him, leaning towards Kaito even more. “What, are you jealous?” Kaito wraps an arm around his lover. Ryouga growls. “You know what, I'm not fine with sharing after all. Thomas is mine!”

He lunges at the pair. Thomas laughs. Kaito starts prying Ryouga off and throwing him from the couch making the all land on it as Ryouga pulls them down. They end up as a tangled mess on the floor, panting and smiling. “I love you both”, Thomas says. “Shut up. Also, why do I get asshole Thomas while he gets kind and nice Thomas?”, Ryouga replies. “You haven't even introduced us”, Kaito says.

XIX. Anthem

The police find out whose body was in the burning flames. Heartland Academy is grief-stricken - they had lost two of their students recently. The investigation team who only hit dead ends before finally comes back to life. They also find a taser on the scene of the crime. It's half melted but still recognizable. One of the tasers not yet released by Dr. Faker. Only his lab members should have one. And one of them is incredibly suspicious. 

The only one who had a connection to Tetsuo Takeda was Christopher Arclight. And the motive was strong as well. After all, Tetsuo had bullied his dead little brother. The police arrested him, believing they finally had found the culprit of the brutal murder of a high schooler. As it turns out though, Chris had an airtight alibi at the time of the crime, though. His personal lab is in the cellar of the lab. He was spending all the time in there. While he was alone, to reach his lab, one must pass a lab where many of Faker's researchers were working. They were there for the entire time of the murder and Chris didn't come out once. He came out a lot later. There's no other way out of the lab. They were forced to release him because of the lack of evidence.

The public didn't forgive him, however. In their eyes, he was the murderer - no matter how good his alibi was. They didn't seem to care that Tetsuo was a filthy murderer as well. Chris is pale whenever Michael can see him. It's mostly on TV because he doesn't come home. He looks like he has been working too much. And Kaito is not at the lab in his free time anymore, but with Thomas, so there's no one really taking care of him.

“Serves him right”, Thomas whispers. They are watching TV with Kaito, hence why they heard about this case. “I hope Chris is suffering.” Michael agrees. Kaito doesn't comment on it if he heard. He looks like he knows something but he doesn't comment on that as well.

XX. Ink-Black Anxiety

Yuma steals Ryouga from them. 

“It's just not working”, he tells them. “Ever since I met Yuma, I realized how unhappy I am. I can't deal with Kaito. I can't deal with you, Michael.” Michael's eyes widen. “No, I'm Thomas! You should know!” Ryouga shakes his head sadly. “No, Michael. Thomas is dead. For a while, I really believed that Thomas is there, taking over your body whenever we spend time together. But I realized. You're just telling yourself that Thomas is still with you so you don't need to be lonely or sad. You're pretending to be him. That's how you cope. But it's unhealthy, Michael. You need to accept that Thomas is not here anymore. You need to get over it and be happy again. As yourself.”

Michael is breathing heavily. He's shaking. “Liar”, he grits out. “Liar, liar, LIAR!”

“Yuma opened my eyes. He made accept that while death may part me with those I love, like Thomas, like Rio, I can move on and be happy again. He made me realize with his bright smile, his positive attitude. His light. Please, Michael, listen to my words. You need to finally snap out of it.”

Michael murmurs to himself. He looks like he wants to cry, but like he wants to punch something at the same time. “So you're leaving me for Yuma, that's it?”, he asks, shaky voice and facing the ground. Ryouga looks at him, sad and pitying. “I can't say it's not a reason. But it's not the only one. I'm also really unhappy with the relationship we have, Michael. I don't want to love someone because they act like Thomas.”

Michael screams. People are looking at them, not that Ryouga minds, really. “Traitor!”, Michael screeches. “TRAITOR, TRAITOR, TRAITOR!” Ryouga wants to reach out, make Michael calm down, but Michael slaps his hand away. “Don't touch me!”, he screams and pushes Ryouga, the latter falling as he was surprised by the sudden push. As he lands on the ground with a groan, Michael runs off, without throwing a glance back to see if his former lover is okay. “Michael…”, Ryouga breathes out, stretching his arm to reach out once again, but it was too late. Michael was nowhere to be seen anymore.

XXI. Quiet Requiem

Kaito holds Thomas close, not caring how soaked his shirt becomes because of the other's tears. He rubs the others back soothingly, sometimes whispering soft words. He knew from the first time he had seen Ryouga that he was bad news. But Thomas had seemed so happy he'd overlooked it. It had been his mistake. He should've known better. He should've protected Thomas better. Thomas doesn't deserve to be in pain anymore.

“I'll always be with you”, Kaito soothes. “Even if Ryouga is an airhead who won't understand, I'll always be there for you. You'll never be alone.” Thomas's grip on his lover strengthened. “I was so stupid, Kaito”, he cries. “I believed he loved me, really loved me. I loved him back with all my heart, but then he just meets Yuma and immediately leaves me for him!” Kaito sighs. “He's an idiot. Forget about him.” Thomas seems to calm down, relaxing in Kaito's embrace. Kaito rubs his back and sometimes strokes his hair and wishes time would stand still.

XXII. Showdown

“I want to talk to Chris! For Michael's sake!”, Thomas demands. Kaito looks up from his book. “Can be arranged, Tiger.” Thomas pouts at his nickname. Kaito chuckles. “Come on, it's my father's lab anyway. We can go anywhere as long as I'm with you.” He takes Thomas's hand almost shyly, with a slight blush. Thomas smiles at him. They walk to Dr. Faker's lab hand in hand. 

It's about noon, so most of the researchers are eating right now. They greet Kaito him when he comes in. “Haven't seen you here in ages!”, Florence says. Bennet behind her agrees loudly. “I was busy”, Kaito replies with a sigh, Honikker sighing right back. “Busier than us, school kid? I think not.” Kaito rolls his eyes. “You're fresh out of school yourself.” They laugh together for a bit. Huxley enters the room. “Ah, Kaito, it's nice seeing you. And if it isn't little Michael. You've grown.” Thomas wants to correct him, but Kaito squeezes his hand and throws him a glance. Thomas shuts up with a pout. 

“We want to visit Chris.” Huxley nods. You'll find him in his lab, like always. I think he's working himself a bit much. Get him to rest and eat something, would you Michael.” Thomas just nods. They walk through the other lab. It's completely deserted. Then, they knock at the hatch leading down to Chris's lab. There's no answer. “There's no way he's not here”, Thomas snarls. “Fuck you, Chris! I know you're here!” He tries to force open the hatch. Kaito makes a slight hand movement to stop him, but before he can actually go through with it, the hatch slides open, Thomas, who had used too much power lands on his butt, surprised. “It's...open?” Kaito looks surprised as well. “This isn't like Chris.” They descend.

Kaito stands on the ground first and helps Thomas down. They turn around, something mean towards Chris already on Thomas's tongue, but both of them freeze as they see what's in front of them. Kaito's eyes widen and his jaw drops. Thomas grabs his shirt and hides behind his back. “What's this…?”, Thomas asks, mortified. Kaito doesn't know how to respond.

There are several gigantic tanks lined up, filled with a green liquid. Inside the green liquid, several familiar bodies were floating. It's Thomas. Or at least replicas that somewhat look like him. They're breathing through somewhat attached to their noses, and are wearing black protective suits. Most of them have their eyes closed, but some of them watch Thomas and Kaito as they walk through the lab curiously. Thomas lays one of his hands against the glass of a tank where this is the case. The Thomas in the tank does the same. He doesn't have a scar.

“Is this...me?”, Thomas asks curiously, Kaito looking around in disbelief. “Is this what Chris was working on the entire time? A clone of Thomas?” 

“It is. Although I wished to tell you about this myself.” Thomas and Kaito turn around. Chris is on the end of the ladder you need to climb down to reach his lab. He looks tired, with heavy bags under his eyes, deathly pale and thinner than a human should be. 

He walks past Thomas and Kaito and looks at the clones fondly, turning around again. “Kaito, Michael. I know you both miss Thomas, so I've been working on fixing everything. I've run into some trouble with replicating his memories and emotions, but I'll get it done in no time and then we'll able to spend time with Thomas again. As many time as we want.”

Chris looks like a maniac. He smiles, but his but it doesn't reach his eyes. Those are hollow, lifeless, cold. His stance is crooked, his hair oily and clothes dirty. He's nothing like the proud and strong Chris they know.

“You gotta be fucking kidding me”, Thomas breathes out. Chris looks at him in a disapproving way. “Language, Michael.”

“Language? You're scolding me about Language?”, Thomas screeches. Kaito tries to put a hand in his shoulder to calm him down, but Michael steps forward and his hand can't reach. “You're fucking cloning me, Chris! Do you even know what you're doing?”

Chris frowns. “Of course I do. I'm making it possible for all of us to spend time with Thomas again. Things we couldn't do because he died will be possible. Like visiting the zoo or...watch a movie.” He looks wistful for a second. “Everything will be just it should be again. We'll be a family again.”

“Don't fuck with me!” Michael is furious. “You're replacing me. Oh, my Thomas died, let's get a new one! I'll take good care of him this time! I won't make that mistake again!”, he parrots, Chris growing more and more angry. “Enough. If you don't approve of my idea, it just means you don't care enough. I was sure you'd want Thomas back as much as I do, but maybe I was wrong. It seems you don't care.”

“I don't care? I?”, Thomas screams. “I care about Thomas more than you ever did! You always left us alone, we only had each other. But now you go ahead pretend like you're some saint while I was the bad guy all along!”

Chris's face is red from anger. It's different from his usual cold fury. They don't think they have ever seen him like this. “I'm not going to continue listening to your childish accusations, Thomas. This is for our family. It'll make us happy again.”

Michael shakes his head rapidly. There are angry tears flowing out of Thomas's eyes. “You asshole”, they say. 

“You'll be back alive soon enough”, Chris curtly says, then turns around to work on something in his desk. Michael growls. “Fuck you, Chris! Don't think I'll let you get away with this!” He looks around. The clones look at him, pleadingly. He finds an iron pipe. Kaito stares at him with wide eyes.

“Sometimes, mistakes can't be fixed, Chris. You can't just replace Thomas with a clone. I am irreplaceable, after all. This clone will never be like me.” Chris doesn't seem to listen. “You'll never be able to fix anything. After Thomas's death, you abandoned me as well. Michael's been really upset about that, you know?” Still no response. Thomas snarls. “You never cherished us enough. You never valued us enough. You think if we die, you can just replace us with some clone. I won't ever forgive you, Chris. We won't ever forgive you.”

He steps forward. There's a Thomas in the tank. Michael swings the pipe. The glass shatters and the liquid spills into the floor, the Thomas flopping down on the floor uselessly. Thomas swings the pipe again. It's stained red. So Chris's clones can bleed. “What do you think you're doing, Michael?” Thomas ignores him. He smashes the next tank in. He kills the Thomas inside that one with a blow to the head as well. “Get away from them!” Chris moves to stop his brother. Thomas smashes the next tank in. They kill the clone. They laugh. It's clearly Thomas's evil cackling. But Michael laughs as well. 

“Stop it!” Chris grabs Michael's arm. He tugs it out by force and swings for the next tank. He smashes its head more than necessary. Chris looks mortified. Kaito staggers back a bit, pale and looking a bit sick.

Thomas runs up to the next tank. “Here I go! Strike!” Chris can't stop him from killing this clone with his weak starved researcher arms as well. Or the next one. Or the next one. Or the next one. Or the next one. Or the next one. Or the next one.

Michael smashes all their heads, laughing maniacally. “Oh man, look at you, Chris! What's wrong, you look upset!” Even though all of them are clearly dead Thomas swings the pipe down on one once again. “Do you even know what you just did?”, Chris asks. His voice is freezing.

“I made you value the real Thomas”, was the only response he got. Chris screams in fury and lunges at his brother, him being unable to respond due to the suddenness and shock. “You monster!”, Chris screeches. “It took me months to get as far as I was! I'll have to do it all over again! Another few months I could've already spent with my family!” The brothers fight, rolling around on the floor, their clothes getting soaked green because of the liquid. Kaito is still frozen in place. He stares over all the bodies, whispering to himself. Chris continues to call Thomas a monster. Michael screams back at him.

Suddenly, Michael rolls over a sharp shard of glass - he screams in pain as he starts bleeding. Chris took that opportunity to snatch the pipe out of his still shocked brother's hand, him unable to do anything about it. Then, he throws the other to the ground - Thomas lands on a pile of shards and howls in pain. Chris sits down on his stomach. Michael can't move. “I'll make you pay”, Chris whispers. “You killed so many. You killed Thomas so many times.”

Michael spits at his face. “Those things weren't even close to being me.” Chris eyes narrow. “You monster”, he says, then raises the pipe over his little brothers’ head. Kaito finally snaps out of his daze. “Chris don't-”

It's too late. He swings it. Michael feels dizzy. He thinks he's bleeding. Chris strikes a second time. Thomas can't see anything anymore. Breathing is hard. So is thinking.

“Fuck! Chris, do you know what you just did? You're killing him! You're killing Michael, you're killing Thomas, you're killing them, you're killing them dead!”, a panicked voice says. 

“Shut up!”, the other voice says. “I can just clone Michael together with Thomas later. It's fine.” There's shuffling. “Stop, Chris! If we call an ambulance, Thomas and Michael might still be saved!” A loud thud. “SHUT UP!” A scream. The sickening sound of iron cracking a skull. The sound of a body hitting the floor. Thomas screams for Kaito. There's no sound coming out of Michael's mouth, even if he tries. 

There's footsteps. “The hell is going on- Shit!” It's a new voice. Michael can't really place it right now. 

“...Ambulance, quick!...”

“...restrain... Chris!”

There are so many voices. Michael is confused. He tries saying something again. It won't work.

He gives up and goes to sleep.

0\. WASP

“You went and did it again, Merag.”

She turns around. It's Michael. He looks furious. “How many times do you need to lead Thomas into death until you're satisfied?”

She uses her feet to struggle a bit further away from the other, Thomas still draped into her arms. “As many times as I need to. He always suffers in this world. And I'll make his suffering stop.”

Michael frowns. “This world exists to make Thomas happy. There's no suffering. It's our Utopia. The only reason why he keeps dying is that you guide him that way!”

Merag shakes her head. “You're wrong. You can't force happiness. Look, you're suffering as well! Everytime Thomas dies, you feel pain don't you?”

Michael looks at her, curious. “I'm suffering? Hey, who cares about that now. I'm just a side character. Everyone wants to see the protagonist happy, no? If you don't want to be the puppeteer that does that job”, he looks down on her cruelly. “I'll just get someone else to guide Thomas.”

“Michael, this needs to sto-” He stabs her with a pair of scissors. She coughs up blood. “I don't need your input anymore. You were a horrible influence on Thomas. There's no need for you to exist here anymore. I'll erase you.”

Merag holds Thomas closer. He looks peaceful and serene. Michael frowns. “Ts, keep that vessel if you want. I have already prepared new vessels for Thomas and Shingetsu. I just need to load their soul data into them.” Merag laughs. “In the end, you're no different from Chris you despised so much. You have failed to make Thomas happy over and over again, throwing the heartbroken ones away in favor of a new one. You keep preparing new vessels for him and continually load the soul data into them, playing god as you try again and again. How is that any different from the cloning?” Michael snarls. “Don't compare me to that scum.”

He kills her. Her body is still holding Thomas.

“Alright. Now in preparation for the new chapter. I will modify Thomas, Shingetsu and Michael's soul data. Chris's too. I'll just erase Tetsuo. Wait no, if I do that Thomas can't have his revenge in the execution hour. Well, I'll leave him in then. But I can delete Yuma. Should I add Ryouga? No, he'll just betray Thomas again. Now, what about dad? Okay… it should work like this. Hmm, let's make Kaito more affectionate as well. Yes, that's great!”

He turns to the new Thomas vessel he prepared. Because the soul data is not loaded into him yet, he's just sleeping. Michael strokes his face with a fond look. Then, he leans in to press a kiss to his brother's lips, whispering something. He takes one last look at the vessel, regretful, then puts on a smile again.

Michael looks at you. “Hello, dear reader. Don't think I didn't notice you over there. Was it exciting to read about our past? About the truth of this world? I wonder if you're disappointed that this is in fact mine, not Thomas's world. He is able to act as a god, however, as this world molds to his desires and grants him all his wishes.” 

Michael sighs. “But I didn't speak to you because I wanted to wonder about things. Say…” He smiles at you. “Don't you want to help Thomas to finally achieve happiness? A reader like you could be able to be an amazing puppeteer. And as you might see”, he points at Merag. “I can't really afford to use this one anymore.”

He listens to you intently. “What's your name?”

[Y/N]

“Hm. A beautiful name. It's a shame no one will ever call you that, here. There are two types of puppeteers, you know. This one was a 'Merag’ type. There's also a 'Nasch’ type. Which one of these are you?”

[YOUR ANSWER]

“I see. I hope you do better than this piece of crap.” He kicks the Merag on the ground, frowning. But when he turns back to you, he's smiling again.

“Make my brother happy, okay? I'm counting on you, [Merag/Nasch].”

[...]

Michael loads the new chapter, the new world. Everything loops, everything starts again. This is the beginning of a story and also an end. A prologue and also an epilogue.

...

You met Thomas for the first time when he just turned ten years old.

**Author's Note:**

> Now, are you satisfied?


End file.
